Issues and Activism
How Hot Topic Political
Issues Affect Musicians, Fans, and Those Who Work Behind the Scenes in the
Music Industry
Think the election doesn't affect
you? Here's how some of the hot button political issues affect music industry pros and the
fans who support them via CD sales, ticket sales, and merchandise sales:
Oil prices--Oil prices affect the cost of touring
via travel costs, costs to transport equipment, and
electricity costs (which can translate into higher venue rental fees).
Higher costs affect touring budgets, tour support from
the label, and, as in the case of the first Gulf War, can affect whether touring
is even financially feasible for some artists. All this effects ticket
prices for the fans.
Oil prices, energy costs, and shipping
costs also all affect the cost of making CDs, from the studio
costs to the manufacturing process (petroleum products are used
to make CDs and their packaging). Energy costs also affect the cost to run your
home studio (or your computer system, if you're a songwriter or artist who
doesn't play an instrument).
Oil prices even affect a musician's rehearsal
costs, in the form of higher energy and transportation costs.
Economy --Buying entertainment takes disposable
income. Even downloaders are affected, as their electricity costs and those of
their Internet Service Provider go up. [BTW, we hate the term
"disposable income" but couldn't come up with anything better. Good
entertainment isn't trash.--Ed]
Healthcare-- Many musicians (even some major artists)
don't have health insurance or affordable healthcare. People who have affordable
healthcare, regardless of what business they're in, have more money to spend
on entertainment.
High healthcare costs also lengthen emergency
response times for everyone as the number of emergency rooms and trauma centers
is reduced. This affects everyone but is especially crucial in safety-first crew
areas like pyro, rigging, and electrical.
Healthcare costs can also affect Worker's Compensation requirements, and
possibly even OSHA requirements.
Healthcare costs also affect corporate
budgets, which affect corporate entertainment budgets, and thus potential
employment opportunities for those who work corporate events.
And finally, if you're a touring
musician, the hot button issue of the Flu vaccine shortage is a factor.
Anyone who's spent time on the road knows that colds and flu are notoriously difficult to
get rid of out on tour, due to shared living spaces in close quarters and the effects of
travel on the immune system.
Environment-- Environmental issues affect touring,
venue and hotel facilities and services (such as catering, dry cleaning,
and housekeeping), and CD and musical instrument production, packaging
and shipping. If you're a songwriter, a view of nature with a blue sky
can be infinitely inspiring. And finally, if you tour, environmental issues even affect
your--excuse us--bathroom habits, because environmental regulations
affect the dumping of the tour bus's waste hold. Just ask Dave Matthews. ["No
Number Two on the bus!!!"--Ed]
Education-- School music programs are
affected by funding for education. Getting young people interested in music keeps our
industry alive. Funding for education also affects the adult musicians in
the availability and affordability of music business classes, and accounting
classes (where you can learn how to keep tabs on your money and your accountant).
School music programs also lower crime rates, because it gives kids something to do.
Funding for the Arts-- More funding for the arts means more exposure
to different types of music and cultural activities, which gets more young people
interested in music and keeps our industry alive. Exposure to the different types
of music--and the people who create it--also makes people more tolerant of the "crazy
musician" next door, making your life easier. (Two words: Ozzy Osbourne.) It can also
have the indirect effect of lower crime rates, because it gives people
something to do. (Again, two words: Ozzy Osbourne, who admits he was a petty thief
before becoming a musician.)
Funding for Police-- More police patrols help keep venues
safe and help protect your equipment from being stolen (and provide more
resources to track it down if it is, then prosecute the #$%!&#$ who did it). It also makes
low rent areas safer for financially-strapped musicians to live and rehearse in.
Funding for Parks and Recreation --Parks and recreation funding affects
the number of live events that, as a musician or crew member, you could
be hired for. It also affects the variety of entertainment available in public spaces.
Censorship-- This one's obvious, but vital because it affects
what you play, see, hear, and say, on air and onstage. If you're a musician,
censorship also affects your CD sales, in the form of dictating which
retailers will sell your music and whether or not they can alter it to make it
"acceptable for all ages." If you're a fan, it affects the choices
available to you as a consumer. What are your candidates' views? And just as
important, what are the views of those who give large financial contributions to your
favorite candidate?
Homeland Security
-- Homeland security affects touring
and personal appearances via crowd safety and travel issues. Privacy
also comes into play, whether you're a fan surfing the Net or happen to be a
celebrity.
Media Consolidation, Station
Ownership, and FCC Regulations--Whether you're for or against media consolidation, the avenues
for exposing your music are affected, as well as what you can play, see,
hear, and say on air. It also effects the hiring of support personnel as
media companies buy venues and promote live shows. (This
is another issue where it's important to check out the views of your candidates, as well
as the views of those who give large financial contributions to your candidate.)
Intellectual property rights
(copyright laws)-- Obvious
if you're a songwriter or musician, but fans are affected too, as copyright laws affect how
entertainment is delivered to the consumer.
Foreign Policy --Affects touring, marketing, and other employment
opportunities overseas (as well as how you're treated while you're there). CD
sales and licensing opportunities in International markets are
also affected. If you're single and travel overseas, some issues, like the spread of AIDS,
can even affect your personal life. Foreign policy also affects homeland
security, which affects safety at public events.
Taxes --This is an immense subject, but tax laws
directly affecting most musicians and songwriters are those concerning deductible
business expenses (travel, home office expenses, stagewear, et al), and corporate
tax laws, if you do business as a corporate entity. Your candidates' views on
your specific needs their official websites or their party's official websites. If you're
a fan, taxes affect both how much money you have, and how much you pay for entertainment.
That should get you started. Issues such
as stem cell research, abortion rights, and gun
control, are equally important but have less direct impact on your career,
so we did not include them. Check out your candidates' or party's official websites for
more information. We also did not include the war in Iraq, because most people
already know how they feel about it.
Being on the road is no excuse for not
voting, so take advantage of advance voting if your area has it, or
request an absentee ballot and use it. (If you're not sure whether you'll
be out of town or not, in many states you can mail it in in advance,
drop it off at the polling place on election day, or in some states, such
as California, you can also have a designated friend drop off your absentee ballot
at the polling place on election day.)
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